The National Special Education Alliance (a national network of local computer resource centers associated with Apple Computer, Inc.) consists, one year after formation, of 24 non-profit support centers staffed largely by volunteers. The NSEA now reaches more than 1000 disabled computer users each month and more growth in the future is expected.…

The key to minimizing length of ride and costs for special education students is accurate placement and scheduling, managed under firm policy, and use of modern administrative resources, including computers. This article details procedures for establishing central computer files and programs (especially graphics) to aid transportation functions.…

The article reviews the development, functions, and impact of the National Special Education Alliance (NSEA), a network of centers disseminating information on adaptive computer technology. NSEA member centers are listed by state with name, address, and access information. (DB)

The article details major steps in establishing a computerized management information system in a special education organization to carry out such functions as student record monitoring and fiscal control. Steps include (1) the study phase, (2) the gross design phase, (3) the detailed design phase, and (4) the implementation phase.(Author/DB)

With the loss of central funding of Special Education Microelectronic Resource Centres in Britain, local educational authorities have developed a network of new centers that is centrally coordinated. Addresses and contact persons for the 14 centers are listed. (DB)

Several factors have been involved in elevating education as a prime issue of national concern. One such factor has been the advent of new technologies; another has been the report by the National Commission on Excellence which found a steady decline in Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, an increase in adult illiteracy, selection of nonrigorous…

Four statewide programs offering such services as help in selection, education, and awareness of assistive devices for disabled students are described: the Pennsylvania Assistive Device Center, MissouriLINC, the New Jersey Assistive Device Center, and the Center for Computer Opportunities for the Disabled (Massachusetts). A contact person is…

The monograph describes Project INTERFACE, a 2-year collaborative effort among the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) of Nassau County (New York), Long Island University, and three local school districts. The project identified the "most effective" implementation strategies for integrating microcomputer instruction into…

Several factors have been involved in elevating education as a prime issue of national concern. One such factor has been the advent of new technologies; another has been the report by the National Commission on Excellence which found a steady decline in Scholastic Aptitude Test Scores, an increase in adult illiteracy, selection of nonrigorous…

The paper provides an overview of fundamental uses of the microcomputer by special education administrators in a large-city school district. Microcomputer applications are suggested for the following applications: school-level administrative functions (e.g., tracking equipment repair, budget forecasting, and class scheduling); district-wide…

The article for parents and teachers of nonverbal children describes information sources identified by the Center for Special Education Technology including general print information as well as information on school and community services, technology use with specific disabilities, software and hardware, assistive devices, and funding sources. (DB)

Special and regular education elementary school teachers (n=100) who use microcomputers were queried on: experience with microcomputers, computer access, instructional uses, and perceptions of microcomputer effectiveness. Teachers had academic, rather than social or motivational, goals for computer use, but felt that computers' positive effects…

This article examines software development techniques used by special educators through the perspective of the software life cycle. The paper argues that traditional programming techniques are becoming less and less feasible for software development within the typical funding levels and timelines of federal initiatives. More use of commercial…

This article describes the Laptop Computer Initiative (LCI), a program in a Delaware school district to enhance referral-to-placement practices and to develop individualized education programs for special education students. The six steps in the program's development are recounted and positive results of the LCI, such as increased staff efficiency…

This directory contains descriptions of 44 National Diffusion Network (NDN) programs that have been validated by the Joint Dissemination Review Panel of the Department of Education and make use of technology. The programs are organized into three sections. Section I describes 11 Lighthouse Projects in the areas of administrative…